Chapter 35: Yu Qiuyang, You and Him

Chapter 35: Chapter 35: Yu Qiuyang, You and Him

"I can’t believe I didn’t notice it while he was living right here in our home," Song Yumeng said, blaming herself.

Lu Yuan was her daughter’s fiancé, practically half a son to her. Yet, she had completely failed to notice such a massive transformation. It was a change for the better, but what if it had been for the worse?

"That kid is full of surprises," Lin Qingfeng said, gently holding his wife’s hand.

Who could have expected this in just a few short days? He hadn’t noticed it himself, so it was perfectly normal that she hadn’t either.

"Hmph, now you know how amazing my Brother Yuan is, right?" Lin Siyao tilted her chin up proudly, her heart bubbling with joy. She felt honored by his success! They used to look down on him, but now...

"This much is nothing. A temporary burst of progress means little. Maintaining it and constantly forging ahead is the hardest part.

"If he can step into the Seventh Grade before turning seventeen, only then will he be worthy to be my, Lin Qingfeng’s, son-in-law," Lin Qingfeng said calmly.

"Indeed. Reaching the Seventh Grade before seventeen barely qualifies him as half a peerless genius," Song Yumeng nodded.

Why only half? Because one couldn’t just look at speed; combat power and potential were just as crucial.

"Seventeen! That’s only a little over a year from now! You two..." Lin Siyao grew angry.

How could anyone reach the Seventh Grade in just over a year? Her Brother Yuan didn’t have the backing of a powerful family or abundant resources. They were deliberately picking on him.

"If he can do it, I will give him a grand gift when the time comes," Lin Qingfeng stated.

"Your mother will also give him a grand gift," Song Yumeng chimed in.

If he achieved that, they would truly accept him from the bottom of their hearts, and the resources of both families could be bestowed upon him.

Lin Siyao’s expression shifted. The grand gifts her parents spoke of would undoubtedly be extraordinary, providing immense benefits to his Martial Dao. But... but...

"I don’t care what you think. My mind won’t change!

"I will only love Brother Yuan in this life! I will only marry him! And I will definitely marry him!" she declared.

"Aren’t you two already engaged?" Song Yumeng replied evenly.

An engagement was settled, meaning there was no rush to marry, nor would the actual marriage be a simple matter. It was an affair between two families. Besides, when the time came, even if she wanted to marry, he might not necessarily want to take her as his wife...

"I..." Lin Siyao naturally understood the implication and bristled with anger.

"Let’s eat, let’s eat," Lin Qingfeng quickly smoothed things over, narrowly avoiding a family war.

In the morning.

Lin Siheng didn’t come by. He was probably sleeping in. However, Lin Siyao made an appearance, watching Lu Yuan practice his Cultivation for a while. She was in a great mood bright and early.

Afterward, Lu Yuan headed to work at the Demon Suppression Bureau.

Thanks to the groundwork laid yesterday, everything went smoothly today. He entered the compound, headed to the training grounds, and began cultivating.

However, Lu Yuan was now thoroughly famous throughout the East Office of the Demon Suppression Bureau. Almost everyone who walked by would point him out, whispering about the arrogant newcomer who didn’t know his place. They gossiped about how Lu Yuan, who hadn’t even reached the Eighth Grade in Cultivation, dared to challenge Sun Jin—a veteran of over four years with Eighth Grade Peak strength—right after joining the bureau!

As more people recognized him, they eagerly joined the ranks of those waiting to watch the impending joke. Even Chen Qiang’s gaze lacked the high regard it had yesterday; he now adopted a laissez-faire attitude, letting Lu Yuan do as he pleased. He couldn’t control the kid anyway.

Left in peace, Lu Yuan focused solely on his Cultivation, tempering his True Qi. Supported by the Qi Nourishing Pill, his progress was rapid.

"Brother Lu, why aren’t you practicing your Archery Skill today?" Liu Zhi asked out of concern.

With only a month left, shouldn’t he be hurrying to practice? Even though Cultivation was more important, the two could be done simultaneously.

"The Archery Skill isn’t mastered in a day. There’s no rush," Lu Yuan shook his head.

"No rush?" Liu Zhi was speechless. What kind of logic was that? Because the Archery Skill couldn’t be mastered in a day, he just wasn’t going to practice it at all?

"When my Cultivation is higher, practicing the Archery Skill will be much easier," Lu Yuan explained.

"That’s true, but..." Liu Zhi didn’t entirely agree.

Cultivation was indeed the foundation of everything. Developing Gang Qi made drawing a bow easier and drastically improved physical reaction time. However, the Nine Luminaries were no basic Archery Skill; they relied heavily on innate talent. A slight increase in Cultivation wouldn’t make a massive difference. He thought Lu Yuan should practice early, so if he realized it wasn’t working out, he could quickly pivot to another method.

"Can’t you see he plans to boost his Cultivation first, just so he can take a better beating?" Jiang Hongfei mocked.

"Even if he develops bones of steel and skin of iron, he won’t be able to block Sun Jin’s fists," Yu Qiuyang shook his head. Eighth Grade Peak strength was simply too overwhelming; a single punch could easily shatter a massive boulder.

"Mhm, you’re both right," Lu Yuan nodded. He then looked at the two and asked, "What will you say if I defeat Sun Jin a month from now?"

"I won’t bet with you again. You’re completely out of chips.

"Your entire net worth wouldn’t be enough to cover a loss!" Jiang Hongfei immediately shook his head. He had no interest in an unprofitable deal.

"Exactly. Do you even have anything left on you to gamble with?" Yu Qiuyang chimed in. "Your arms and legs?"

"Gambling is a bad habit," Lu Yuan shook his head. "Let’s keep things simple. Let’s bet that whoever loses has to bark like a dog, shouting ’WOOF’ three times right here on the training grounds."

"Bark like a dog? That..." Jiang Hongfei’s eyes flickered.

To be honest, he really wanted to see Lu Yuan barking like a dog on the training grounds. The scene would be too beautiful to pass up. The odds of winning this bet were overwhelmingly in his favor. But... what if he lost?

Yu Qiuyang also desperately wanted to see Lu Yuan barking like a dog, but he had no intention of playing such a childish game himself.

"So? Are you playing or not?" Lu Yuan pressed.

"This is somewhat interesting," Jiang Hongfei said, turning to Yu Qiuyang. "Yu Qiuyang, take the bet!"

"Huh?" Yu Qiuyang froze. "Young Master Fei, this..."

"What, are you refusing to listen to me?" Jiang Hongfei frowned. If the lackey wouldn’t even handle a trivial matter like this, how could he be trusted with important tasks in the future?

"I..." Yu Qiuyang gritted his teeth. "Alright, I accept!

"Since Young Master Fei wants to see it, I must make it happen!"

"Now that’s my good brother!" Jiang Hongfei laughed heartily, then turned to Lu Yuan. "You hear that? You’re betting with him.

"There’s not much difference between three barks and six barks, so you can only bet with one person."

"The bet is off," Lu Yuan shook his head.

Yu Qiuyang was already a lapdog to begin with, so barking like a dog would be perfectly natural for him—he wouldn’t lose any face. Lu Yuan, however, was a human being. Making this bet with an actual dog was a terrible deal.

"I will only bet with you!"

"Hmm?" Jiang Hongfei’s expression darkened. What was this? Was Lu Yuan messing with him?

"You..." Yu Qiuyang was momentarily stunned before a tidal wave of fury crashed over him.

What did Lu Yuan mean by that? Was he looking down on him? His family had Sixth Grade experts holding the fort, and more than just one! Their influence in the Jade Capital was countless times stronger than the Lu Family’s. And now...

"Lu Yuan, you’re pushing your luck! Do you really think being in the same squad means you’re on equal footing with Young Master Fei and me?

"Who the hell do you think you are? Out in the real world, you wouldn’t even be fit to carry my damn shoes!

"You want to bet with Young Master Fei? Do you even have the qualifications?"

"I just don’t want to play with you, that’s all. Why are you getting so worked up?" Lu Yuan asked with a look of perfect innocence.

"You..." Yu Qiuyang choked on his own breath, nearly suffocating.

Humiliation! What an absolute humiliation! He swore he would get his revenge.

"I’m certainly not playing with you. Just like Yu Qiuyang said, you’re not worthy," Jiang Hongfei scoffed and shook his head.

"Heh, coward," Lu Yuan sneered dismissively before returning to his Cultivation!

"You..." Jiang Hongfei’s expression turned exceedingly ugly.

"Young Master Fei! I have to beat him up! I must beat him up!" Yu Qiuyang ground his teeth.

"Do it! Beat him hard!" Jiang Hongfei roared furiously.

He supported it, completely supported it! It wasn’t just about what happened today, or just a moment ago. Yesterday, he had also been utterly humiliated by Lu Yuan.

"Alright!" Yu Qiuyang beamed. With Young Master Fei’s backing, he no longer had anything to worry about. He could unleash a hundred and twenty percent of his power!